The unexpected move makes Sooyeon's blood boil in just a matter of seconds. She roughly pushes him away by the shoulders, before she could comprehend on what to do next; her hand was one step ahead. It made contact with his right cheek and a loud smack! could be heard echoing through the white walls of the hallway. 

"Yah! What the hell?!" Yifan roars as he steps back, his hand on the spot where she had hit him. It hurt so much and it was throbbing rather painfully. 

"I should be saying that line first!" Sooyeon shouts right back. She wipes her lips with the back of her hand. "How dare you!"

"How dare you!" he counters.

The two of them pierce through the other's souls with their knife-throwing glares. Sooyeon was more than furious, she was outraged. Did he have no respect for women, especially Sooyeon, at all? He was a Wu, but did he even have a right to do what he just did? He actually kissed her?! For what reason? Sooyeon couldn't come up with anything. 

"Yah, what do you want? Huh?!" Sooyeon takes a step forward, her eyes trying to look past the pure black frames of his sunglasses. "One day, you get angry at me for always bothering you and then the next.. you come around and kiss me?! Who does that?!"

Yifan hears it before Sooyeon does. Chattering, talking.. someone was nearing them. With a hand still on his cheek, he looks at Sooyeon and hardens his stare at her. "Calm down, you-"

"How can I calm the down after what you just-"

"Aish!" Yifan covers , dragging her to the nearby janitor closet. He pushed her inside as he closed the door behind him and ordered her to keep quiet. "Someone's coming." he whispers. 

Sooyeon stops talking but Yifan doesn't need her to do so to tell him that's absolutely fuming at that moment, and the reason behind her blood boiling was obviously him. There was just no doubt about it.

She glares up at his side profile as he presses his ear against the door of the small room, listening to the students walk by and talking amongst themselves, seeming to have not known about the incident that had happened a while ago between Yifan and Sooyeon that took place at where they were walking.

When the coast was clear, Yifan let out a deep sigh as he faces Sooyeon, scowling at her. "Why did you do that?! Why did you hit me-"

"Well why did you kiss me?!" she says, equally as outraged and angry as the boy in front of her. "You son of a bi-"

"Hey," Yifan glares at her again, daring her to finish that sentence. When she doesn't, behind his oversized sunglasses, he rolls his eyes. "Girl's.. so confusing. Don't you like me?"  

Didn't she like him? Didn't she have a some sort of crush on him? Wasn't that the reason why she bothered with him so much? Well, Jung Sooyeon was a respectable girl, and she did take her duties to the heart, he could tell but beside looking over him.. didn't she at least have some feelings toward him? Anything at all?

But the look on her face already confirms it. "What the  are you talking about?" she deadpans. Sooyeon was thinking that Yifan must be high on drugs or something.

And all at once, Yifan felt guilty, angry, foolish and most of all; he felt embarrassed. Absolutely embarrassed and ashamed of what he had just done and he had almost took off his sunglasses. But he keeps it on as he takes a step backwards, his back softly hitting the door and slowly, he slides down, letting his long legs stretch out on the floor and his bottom hit the surface of the cold marble floor. "Ah, what the-damn it." 

If the situation wasn't so tense and so embarrassing for him, Sooyeon would've laughed. But she didn't. Instead, she crouched down and sighed. "Why would you.. why-"

"You were bothering me too much. You kept on coming near me, always making the first move." he bursts, still clearly angry. He looks at her through his sunglasses and she's annoyed that he still hasn't bother to take it off. "You always asked me to let you in and let you help, I kept on pushing you away but you were as stubborn as a mule, Jung Sooyeon. I thought you were taking your 'job' on watching over me way too seriously but.." he lowered his head as he bit down on his lips, carefully thinking of the next string of words he was going to say. 

Sooyeon waits for him to continue on, eagerly listening as she did. What ever made him think that she liked him in that way? Or she liked him at all? 

"But-but.. then I thought, you must've felt something towards me." he says and for the first time ever, Sooyeon saw his cheeks turn pink. Not in anger, but of shyness. "I used to know girls who acted like you. Clingy and never leaving me alone. Always wanting my attention because they liked me, they felt something for me. I thought you felt the same way too. But I read all those signs wrong." 

She couldn't help it now. Sooyeon lets out a soft giggle and she sounded like an eight-year-old when she did. As Yifan looked back at her, a small smile was playing on his lips. She sounded so cute. "You did." she says. "You did misread and misunderstood." she fully agrees with him.

Yifan bent his head down in shame, thinking back to what he had just done a little earlier. He had kissed her because of all the wrong reasons and thoughts that he had. He was beyond embarrassed when Sooyeon sat cross-legged in front of him like a little girl. When he glances up at her, she's only looking at him. Maybe not looking, but more like observing.

Then, silence. 

"But why?" 

Sooyeon tilts her head. "Why what?" she asks, looking like a toddler. 

But Yifan doesn't raise his head. "Why do you always come to me? Telling me you could help. I find it very strange. I found you weird."

"Ah, I'm sorry." Sooyeon manages to smile, a kind of 'sorry' smile. "Actually, you shouldn't blame yourself. You misunderstood because of my actions too. I'm really sorry for that, Yifan. I really am. My intentions were not to annoy or bother you, or to get your attention. I just.. whatever you're problem is, I'm here to help."

"Why? Because you were assigned to-"

"Yes." she says.

He finally looks up. "Wha-what? You didn't even let me finish."

"You don't have to. I know what you're thinking." Sooyeon shrugs. "I mean, I'd like you if someone was assigned to look after me like I was a baby. Actually, that's only one of the reasons." she says.

"What else could there be?" his eyes bore into her's. But she doesn't know that since there was the sunglasses. "Besides Principal Lee and my own father asking you to watch over a troublesome, hard-headed boy like me."

Sooyeon looks down as she had thought about it. How could she say it properly to him? How could she tell him without freaking him out? Did she even need to tell him?

Of course you should. Sooyeon sighs as she hears her own conscience speaking to her. It was right though, she did need to tell him. To make him understand. He was already confused by her actions and intentions, leading him to think that she actually liked him. To clear this whole mess up, the only solution was to tell him.

But, it took her a while to finally speak. "I don't want you to die because of me."  

Yifan's reaction was less than what she had expected. "What'd you mean by that?" 

Sooyeon takes a deep breathe and lets it out after counting from one to three. "I'm.. Have you heard about that student? Two years ago, have you heard about that student named Kim Joonmyeon that went here in Cheongdam?"

​He shakes his head. "No, I-I haven't. Why?"

"He died." Sooyeon says bluntly. "You haven't heard of him?"

Again, he shakes his head. This time, more slower as he tried to figure out what she was trying to say. "No." was his short reply. 

"Well, Cheongdam did a good job in hiding it then. But that doesn't change the fact that everyone in the school still knows." her eyes are casted to the ground and she refuses to look at him. 

Meanwhile, while Sooyeon is debating whether or not she could really trust him; Yifan was trying to click things together. He was trying to read the message behind Sooyeon's words as she told him about the deceased student and what his connection was in their discussion. 

"Kim Joonmyeon was my classmate, and just like you, he was assigned under my supervision." Sooyeon says a little while later. At her words, Yifan eagerly leans in, wanting to hear more. "It was two years ago when I was still a sophomore, but even then, the teachers knew how responsible I was. Usually, when a new student or a transferee enters Cheongdam, it only means two things; they're either really smart and talented or their just filthy rich." 

Yifan raised an eyebrow, asking a question that she had already answered before he could even ask. "Don't worry, you're actually both." at her reply, he nods; satisfied. 

"Anyway, Joonmyeon was beyond smart. He was truly a genius. He was smarter than me actually and in every test, he always perfected it no matter what subject it was. Science, English, History and even P.E! He was truly one of a kind." Sooyeon recalls the times in where she would openly complain to him whenever he would get a higher score than her, and she would sometimes mockingly ask if he could let her borrow his cheat sheets. 

"He was also very kind, and for some reason, quiet. He didn't have a lot of friends, only me. Everyone liked him, but nobody really made time to befriend him. He was cute and all, but nobody just.. took any interest in him besides his intelligence. He entered Cheongdam three weeks after school had started, and I knew from then on that he was special. There's this tradition, or somesort of unwritten rule in the school that the teachers or even the principal assign the class president or the more responsible students to look over and guide the new students, just like what Principal Lee had did to you." 

Yifan says nothing as he only looks down, listening to her speak. He adjusts his sunglasses, preventing it to fall off from his nose bridge.

"E-even though he knew that I-I failed in looking after Joonmyeon, he.. he still assigned me to you. And I was grateful, because he still trusted me to look after a student after what happened with Joonmyeon. I swore to him and to myself to always look over you, Yifan, to always take care of you and grab you out of trouble when I need to." Sooyeon's bottom lips quivers slightly, but she still tries her best to keep her emotions in check as she continued on. "That day? When you got into a fight, I treated your wounds because I had to. If Principal Lee found out you got into a fight, or even sees you.. he'd-he'd blame me. So I just had to treat your wounds." 

"But then.. when I saw those scars that you inflicted on yourself.. I didn't just had to stop you, I wanted to. When I saw the pain you were experiencing through the scars that I saw.. I couldn't lose you. I couldn't let it happen again. I couldn't." Sooyeon shakes her head and sniffs. Tears were threatening to escape the corner of her eyes, but she wiped those away before Yifan could see them. 

"I-"

"Hush." Sooyeon commands. "Don't speak yet. Let me finish." she says. 

Yifan nods obediently. For now, he lets her take charge. 

"So, after that, I told myself I just had to help you in every way I can. I can't.. I can't fail again, see, and Principal Lee.. he'd be so disappointed in me again." her voice cracks, but it only takes her a few second to regain back her voice to continue on speaking. Sooyeon was in pain, the past that she really wanted to forget still haunts her to this day. And Yifan could see that. 

"What happened with Joonmyeon? Why did he die?" Yifan asks, even though Sooyeon had clearly said he shouldn't speak until she's finished. "Is it really because of you?"

Sooyeon looks up and glares at him, but she couldn't see his eyes due to the sunglasses. She looks back down instead and rubs her nose. "I told you not to speak but.." she bites down on her lower lip, hesitating. "Joonmyeon.. he.. Like I said, he was smart and very talented. But, he wasn't sociable. He had a few friends, but I never really saw him talk to anybody. The only person he talked to was me. But even he didn't trust me with everything. He never told me the reason on why he harmed himself. He never told me his problems. I wanted help, I really did, but he was more stubborn than I thought. So, I decided to.. I decided to wait. Wait for him to be ready to tell me everything. I told him that and I also told him that whenever he's ready, I'd always be there for him no matter what."

"Days, weeks passed by and we didn't talk. I kept my distance from him, not too far but not too near. I didn't want to annoy him any further, so I kept quiet and stayed where I stood. I really thought that he'd come to me and pour his heart out and just tell me everything. But I was wrong. Joonmyeon never came to me, he never made the time or put some effort in talking to me. When my patience run out, I approached him first one afternoon. In these very hallways, I talked to him and convinced him that I could help. But.." Sooyeon sighs out, remembering her dream in where she had talked to Joonmyeon. It wasn't really a dream, it was more like a vision from the past. Because it had happened, it was real.

"He never let me in. He never let me help. The day after our talk, he got sent to the hospital. And it was there that I knew what his problems were, why he cut himself, why his smile was brighter than the rest. Joonmyeon was abused by his stepmother and sometimes, his stepbrother would beat him too. Like you, Joonmyeon cut himself to release away the pain and the stress." she looks around the small room that were fool of cleaning tools. She looks at anything that would help the tears to stop. "Don't they say that.. the loneliest people smile the brightest? It was true. Joonmyeon had nobody actually. He was al alone, constantly fighting his own battles." 

"He got rushed to the hospital because one night.. his stepmother went to far. She threw Joonmyeon out of the house and he hit his head against the pavement of their sidewalk. It was a nearby citizen that called for help, and help came only minutes before Joonmyeon died. He suffered a head concussion. He had on and off amnesia. Sometimes, he remembered. Sometimes, he wouldn't. I was just glad that when I visited and came to talk to him, he remembered me and everything I told him. He told me he was sorry, and when he'd get better, he would talk to me more often and even treat me icecream." Sooyeon pauses and a sardonic laugh escapes her lips, but Yifan doesn't even look up. He was too emerge into the story. 

"But.. that day never came, Yifan. It never came. The next day, I went to visit him again, but the nurse had told me he was dead. He died just two hours before I got to the hospital. I was too late." Sooyeon felt one tear escape, then another and then another. She was silently crying and even Yifan didn't notice this until she had sniffled. 

"Sooyeon, are you-" he freezes when he sees the tears falling. "Uh, Sooyeon? Are you really crying?" she nods her head and then the next thing Yifan knew, she was already bawling like a baby. "Um, uhh, come here." he gently grabs her head and pulls her to his chest, awkwardly patting her back. "Um, Sooyeon? Ple-please don't cry, I don't really know what to do when a girl cries." Yifan admits. He fumbles with his sunglasses as he pushes them up again. "Oh, Sooyeon, please. Don't cry." 

"Just-just.. just shut up and hold me." she chokes out before she cries even more. 

Yifan obeys and he only holds her tighter, bringing her petite frame closer to his. "Stop crying, Sooyeon. It's not your fault. Joonmyeon was too stubborn, and you tried your best." he caresses her hair and places his chin on top of her head. He held onto her as she wept and decided to just hum, staying quiet; just like she said. 

When she calmed down a little bit, Sooyeon tried to stop the tears from falling. "Bu-but it wasn't enough.. wasn't it?"

"What?"

"I tried, but my best wasn't enough." she whispers. "It's true, I did try but I just wished I tried harder. Maybe then, Joonmyeon would still be alive."

"You talked to him, but he refused to let you in. You asked him over and over, but he was too stubborn." he says. "The way I see it, it's not all your fault. There's his abusive step-relatives as well, so don't take all the blame, Jung Sooyeon." 

"If I hadn't let him be. If only I convinced him more so that he'd tell me, and I'd be the one to his face his relatives. I'd be the one to stand for him, he would still be alive. And if only I tried harder, then maybe Yifan, just maybe.. Joonmyeon would still be here.

Yifan sighs. Now Sooyeon was getting stubborn. "Listen, you tried. That's what matters."  

"But, if-"

"Shut up and just let me hold you." he says. 

To his surprise, he could feel her vibrating and then he realizes, she had laughed. For a few seconds, she had laughed and it was because of him. Yifan smiles and wraps his arms around her tighter as they sat on the floor of the janitor's closet. Neither of them saying a word.